Catholic Church still owes Irish state €253M in unpaid compensation

The Catholic Church is still indebted to the Irish state for the sum of €253 million, it was revealed today.

A Joint Oireachtas Public Accounts Committee which convened this morning heard that of the €480 million euro the church had promised the state, only €227 million had been paid.

An indemnity agreement between the Catholic Church and the Irish State was struck in 2002, envisioned as a way for the church to redress for decades of institutional abuse.

While at the time it was welcomed as a 'first step' towards repairing the church's reputation in Ireland, the indemnity has been a sticking point for years now, as even 16 years later, half remains unpaid.

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The chair of the PAC, Sean Fleming said that the sum needs to be paid by the end of the year, but added "I don't believe it."

Despite the Vatican having more than enough in their coffers, politicians in Ireland have been forced to bring up the redress time and time again with the Church, only for the balance to remain open.

Taoiseach-at-the-time Enda Kenny told a crowd in Philadelphia whilst on a state visit in 2017 that it was long-past-time the church paid up the balance.